And Though the Sky May Fall
by Postlude
Summary: Living in a game always sounds better than it really is. In a time filled with war and turmoil, things tend to get complicated. Everyone has their own truth, justice and reasons to fight. A Fire Emblem Awakening SI. Rated T for violence and occasional swearing.
1. Prologue

With a snap my eyes shot open, only to be blinded by a bright light. I was greeted by snow after my eyes got used to the light. White specks fell down in heavy flakes and covered trees in layers of snow. A vague daydream lingered on my mind, but I couldn't grasp it.

_Something about games?_

The icy air wrapped itself around me and pulled me out of my stupor. If it weren't for that chill that ran through my body, I'd convince myself that this was a dream.

_Oh, wait, this is a dream. I mean what else could it be?_

And as if to convince me that this was no dream, the wind suddenly picked up speed and while carrying many snowflakes, whipped itself at my face, mocking me for being outside in a blizzard. My hands which were covered in gloves for some reason, shielded my eyes from the horrible combination of snow and wind. I cast my eyes down, only to see that I was wearing a dress in this weather. I stood there dazed for a few seconds.

_What the heck am I wearing and where am I? _

I was standing in the middle of a forest. White air came out of my mouth and cooled down every time I breathed. The trees, the snow, my clothes, everything looked artificial. Rather than artificial, the best way to describe it would be less realistic.

_As if straight from a game. _

My eyes searched for a sign of life. I needed someone to talk to and confirm that I wasn't going crazy. Anything that moved would've been fine.

_Did I somehow get transported to another world? Is this a game? A beautiful dream of a game?  
><em>

_...Well, let's not jump to conclusions yet._

I rubbed my fingers against my temples. A headache. My brain still searched for a proper explanation. The explanation that made the most sense to me was that I was asleep, but the sensations felt too real for a dream. My head hurt, the snow stung in my eyes and it was cold. No matter how improbable it sounded, I could assume that this somehow was not a dream.

_Doesn't this kind of stuff only happen in fanfiction?_

The cold wind however reminded me that there were more pressing matters than worrying about fanfiction and the likes.

_I can always ponder over this later after I find myself a warmer place_.

I dragged myself through the snow in hope of finding shelter. However, my mind didn't stop questioning the situation and kept telling me that I was insane. Things like 'This can't be a dream!' were quickly countered with 'How can this NOT be a dream?' I couldn't help but feel that something was off. That nagging feeling gnawed at me.

While I was arguing with myself, rustling and creaking sounds filled the forest. In response, my head tilted slightly to the side and there in the distance I spotted a figure. A masked person was headed my way. I couldn't tell the gender of this person. The person was clad in frost-tinged clothes that looked awfully cold for this weather and donned a butterfly themed mask. Short blue hair framed the rather feminine face. A sword was strapped to its hip. With steps that crushed snow and tree branches under its weight, it drew closer until our eyes met.

_This person sort of reminds me of a more feminine version of Marth. Well, whoever that is, I guess he or she isn't trying to sneak up on me._

A blank face stared back at me. The mask concealed most of her or his emotions, but I thought I saw a hint of _something_ appear on its lips for a split second. Did he or she bite his lip? Was that a grimace? It didn't really matter. All I knew was that I didn't like it.

My feet slowly moved backwards.

"May I ask for your name?" the figure spoke in a distant voice.

"W-what?" taken aback by the sudden question, my voice trembled as I backed away.

"That's..."

_A dramatic pause?_

The figure's mouth curled down and its stance changed. My instincts screamed at me to get the hell away from there.

"All I needed to hear."

One hand reached out to its sword and drew it in the blink of an eye. I made a run for it toward an area with more trees. The masked (wo)man shot at me, covering the distance that separated us in mere seconds. He or she was so, so much faster than I was. My brain called me an idiot for not running away earlier. But that probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

With its raised sword, the figure dove at me. I tumbled down to the side, dodging the strike and quickly rose to my feet.

It was a relentless attack. The person was incredibly fast and slashed its sword with a speed that would make anyone sweat. Another thrust came my way. The sword barely missed me by a hair's breadth as I dove to the side. I quickly got up and jumped away as the figure lunged at me again.

My senses were dull and I had a hard time keeping up, dodging took more effort than I had expected. I couldn't believe this was happening. I didn't even have a weapon, there was no way to fend of this attack. Terror welled up. I knew that fear and panic in life-threatening situations don't go hand in hand, but I was too busy to calm myself. My flight response was triggered and like a rabbit trying to escape from its hunter, all I could think of was escape.

"Lucina!" a voice shouted out of nowhere.

_Shit, there was someone else!?_

Shocked, my eyes snapped towards the voice's direction. The shape of a girl came into sight. She pulled the string of her bow back and released it. The swordsman immediately jumped back. An arrow shot out of the snow, but the aim was slightly off and grazed my arm. The masked figure wasted no moment to try to take advantage of this situation. A rush followed by a horizontal slice from its sword prompted me to awkwardly dodge the metal. I staggered after dodging and in that moment, another arrow was fired off and pierced my leg.

I groaned and staggered again. The already slim chances of me escaping sank to zero. The swordsman firmly held its sword with both hands and dashed at me. I tried to desperately evade the attack, but my wound stopped me from properly dodging it. Everything seemed to move slower from that moment on. Its hair swayed in the wind and its teeth grounded against each other. The swordsman slightly adjusted its aim as I struggled with dodging. I knew it was going to end up bad.

A sharp pain shot through my stomach as the figure planted its sword into my midriff. I cried out in pain. The sword dug itself deeper into me and held me up as my leg gave away. I stared down at the sword that disappeared into my body. Blood dripped down and stained the gritty snow red. My hands gripped the metal in a futile effort to pull it out. Wheezing, panting sounds escaped my mouth as my breath grew ragged. An excruciating pain spread through my body. Blood still poured out and the sight of this was enough to send me into total shock. I couldn't understand what or why this was happening, my thoughts quickly outpaced my mind.

I denied the fact that this was happening.

_This is a nightmare, something like this can't be real._

With its hands clamped down on the worn-out hilt of the sword, the figure just stood there. His, _no, didn't I hear a woman's name?_ Her mouth twisted and churned, perhaps she was just as confused as I was, but I couldn't tell.

Anger, fear, confusion, a bitter pool of emotions stirred up. I fought back the tears that welled up. I was bleeding too much and I knew that death knocked on the door. I didn't know what to do. My gaze directed itself at my assailant.

"D-damn it," I stammered and proceeded to struggle and flail once more, but with no success.

"Why did this," my hands reached out to my midriff. "Even h-happen? This..."

I couldn't find the words to say. What was someone even supposed to say when they were bleeding to death?

"Whatever it takes," she whispered with a grim expression.

My body slowly grew weaker and weaker. It was torture, the pain was agonizing. My life didn't flash by, instead as my vision faded into black, the daydream I had earlier came back to me. My mouth formed words, but the words clung to my lips.

* * *

><p>The masked girl silently watched that person's death throes. When the last white breath escaped the person's mouth and every sign of life was gone, she pulled her in blood covered sword out and sheathed it. The body hit the bloody ground with a wet thump.<p>

In her mind, the same scene replayed itself over and over. The moment her voice was killed off, when the sword dug itself deeper, the sounds, the smell. It was all burned into her mind. Remembering it gave rise to an unpleasant feeling, she wasn't sure what to feel or what to think. She had killed before, but this was different. The moment their eyes met, her heart froze over.

The things that person did in the future were unforgivable. A danger, she was a danger to everyone.

_Why am I even trying to justify myself?_

Lucina wasn't the grudge-bearing type of person. Her heart was set on trying to resolve everything as peacefully as possible, at least that's what she told herself when the children traveled to the past. But the situation was just too perfect. Unarmed, alone, she probably didn't even have any experience with fighting yet. Was it on impulse? Probably. She hadn't planned on meeting her on her way to Fort Ferox.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes in order to collect her thoughts.

_I can't be shaken by this. There is still someone else who is even more dangerous roaming around in this world._

_What should I do now? Get rid of the body?_

As if in response, the ground shook and trembled almost immediately.

"Lucina!" the other girl holding a bow shouted and caught up to her. The bow was tightly clutched in her hands. The archer panted heavily while sweat dripped down her panicked face.

"Th-there! Risens in the distance!"

"What?!"

From a purple light, a horde of risens emerged and stumbled across the snow.

The archer tugged at Lucina's arm and tried to tell her that they had to leave. However, Lucina could only stare in shock.

_How is this possible?! This.._

Her face darkened and she swallowed hard, her throat was bone-dry.

_This wasn't supposed to happen! I don't recall reading anything about this in the records and history books. How could killing her change the future that much?_

The archer urged her to calm herself, but got ignored by Lucina who seemed to be absorbed in her own thoughts. Irritation swallowed her up and the girl's right hand reached out to the talisman in her pocket. With her mother's talisman clenched in her hand, her eyebrows drew together and a scowl appeared on her face. Anger rippled through the girl's face.

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER WENCH." Noire shouted in one breath. She inhaled deeply and started talking again,"Aren't you the exalt's daughter?!"

The princess let out an "Ah," out of shock.

"Drats! Why did it have to be risens?" Noire grunted, her eyes glared daggers at the undead.

Her harsh words shook Lucina out of her mind and grated on her. She was the exalt's daughter. Everything was for her family. The world shall not fall as long as she was alive. She made a decision to cut her down and she couldn't change it. If this was the result then so be it.

Her brains starting cracking and turning. The situation was bad, there were too many risens for the two of them. There was also that strange purple light. It was some sort of dark magic, Lucina concluded. Was there a dark mage close by or perhaps…

She shuddered at that thought.

Fort Ferox wasn't very far away, they must be informed of this threat. She had no doubt that they would be able to handle this situation. After all, the people of Ferox she met in the future were strong, the past should be no different. The fact that she was going there to beat up the champion and challenge the Shepherds only confirmed that this was the correct course of action. The purple light still bothered her, but what could two people do against an army of risens? Also, a bigger threat could be lurking there.

"Thank you, Noire," Lucina looked away and spoke in a calm voice. "This isn't the time to be standing still. We can't possibly handle this many risens by ourselves. Our survival is of utmost importance. Dragging around a body will only hinder us, someone might even spot us."

Noire's demeanour changed back into her usual timid self. Her shoulders tensed up and her head quickly nodded to her words.

"Let us make haste, we must inform the people of this land about the risens."

Before leaving, Lucina turned around and took one last look at the body lying in the snow. A sigh came out of her mouth. They then left without turning their back around.

* * *

><p>"I wasn't expecting this to happen," she mused.<p>

I blankly watched the woman mulling over things. Her appearance was striking, that long green hair that gracefully flowed and the long dress she wore made her look like she was from out of this world. Well, that and the fact that half of her body was faded, making her look like a spirit. She gave of a weird aura. It was warm, like that of a mother, but it was also very dignified and distant at the same time. It was a peculiar feeling, but I was very impressed by the grandness that resonated from this person. For some reason it felt like we weren't even on the same footing. Like an insect and a human, but a god and a human would be more appropriate in this case.

_Wait a minute, what's even happening? When did I get here? We're not standing on anything, we're just floating in this blue vortex. I don't even remember falling asle-_

"You don't recall what happened just now, right?" the woman suddenly addressed me and broke through my inner monologue.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Upon hearing my answer, she closed her eyes and muttered the words again and just as expected.

"Err, uhm. I've been meaning to ask this, but am I dreaming right now? Cause I don't understand a thing of what's happening."

"This is not a dream. We are on a higher plane of existence at this very moment, but where we are matters not."

_I think it matters, a lot!_

"And... You expect me to believe something that like that?"

"Don't think, traveller. Accept it," her voice faltered. Her eyes squeezed tightly as if she was in pain. "I can sense it. He's closing in."

"What are you talking about?"

She opened her eyes again and directed her gaze at me. Her deep green eyes were intimidating, but I couldn't take my eyes of them.

"I summoned you to this world, traveler. Things have gone awry. There's not much time left, but I'll explain the most important things," she spoke with a voice devoid of emotion. There was no malice, just nothing.

I nodded, but the words didn't really sink into my mind.

"This world is what you call a game. To be more specific, this is the Fire emblem world or whatever you may call it. That doesn't mean this is a game. This is your new reality, so don't treat this as a game."

"Yeah, right. Okay."

"I hope you realize that dying here will mean your death," she went on and stressed that last part. "Summoning someone from a different world than ours is difficult, as such there was a price for summoning you. You lost something."

"You mean life as I know it?"

"…Yes, that too. But what I meant was that you lost a part of your memories."

"Huh?"

"You lost specific knowledge of this era in this world. It'd be more accurate to say that they were erased."

"So... you're saying I forgot about a game and now have a form of amnesia." I sighed and rested my head on my hand.

_This is ridiculous._

"Isn't that a bit too convenient? Why did it get erased and more importantly why did I get summoned? Surely there are better and more able people to summon."

"I had no choice or say in either matter. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. You must be good for something too. The gods thought it'd be better to get rid of that knowledge. It would have hazardous consequences if the enemy got their hands on that knowledge. Please do not dwell on it," she reassured me, but her face and the indifferent tone in which she spoke didn't match her words.

"The gods? This is a lot to take in," I paused. "So then, who are you? I think I can sort of guess who you are. Probably."

She reminded me of Nagi, but it had been a while since I last played Shadow Dragon so I wasn't sure.

"I am the Divine Dragon Naga. Although it may seem this way, I am no god. Traveller, time is growing short. Like I mentioned before, things have already gone awry. I am afraid things are going downhill for you and this world. The consequences of _her_ actions may not immediately have effects on the events that have yet to come. But even I am not sure how this will affect you and the world."

"Hellooo? I'm a bit lost here."

Naga opened her arms.

"But, I have faith in mankind and in you. That's why I won't let this story end now."

_What's this person even talking about? Explain the whole situation dammit!_

More questions sprung up: what was I even supposed to do? What role was I supposed to play? Who were the gods? I raised my hand and blurted out one of the questions that bothered me the most.

"Am I some sort of sacrificial pawn?"

Naga's head cocked to the side. The question must have sounded sudden.

"Err, since I did get summoned to this world and I'm not sure how summoning me will help... whatever is happening."

"Well, are you a pawn? Do you have a will of your own?"

"Don't answer my question with a question."

She ignored me and didn't even bat an eye. My own eyes were still fixated on her. Her face was like stone, I couldn't read her thoughts. I wondered what went on in the deity's head. As I kept on staring, the blue hues around us slowly twisted and broke into black. Naga's figure faded and I was suddenly alone.

Something pulled me down into the depth of this sea of nothingness. I heard someone bid me goodbye and my eyes closed itself. I still didn't understand a thing while I sank, but something had definitely started. The game was afoot and I was forced to go with the flow.

* * *

><p><strong>The title was totally inspired by the Latin phrase <em><strong>Fiat justitia ruat caelum. <strong>_**

**I considered splitting this chapter into two. I didn't plan on writing this much for the first chapter, but it just sort of happened. While writing this, I realized that action scenes are a real pain to write.**** The story will follow the game in big lines, but things will obviously be slightly different at times. Looking back at this later, the ending is a bit rushed. Sorry for that.**

**Anyway, I hope things weren't too confusing to read. Reviews and constructive criticism are as always welcome.**


	2. Take Two

**I apologize for the wait. I ended up rewriting this chapter and then school sort of happened. I'll try updating more regularly now.  
>(Note after rewriting parts, there are actually zombiesmonsters in earlier games. I had only gotten past the prologue of Sacred Stones when I first wrote this chapter, so I hadn't encountered them yet.)**

* * *

><p><em>Blood.<em>

_Blood?_

It took a while to sink in. The falling snowflakes that hit the ground immediately disappeared and faded into the blood. A big red pool, or actually snow coloured like blood laid before my eyes. I was staring down at what looked like the aftermath of a fight.

_Why am I staring at a crime scene?_

My heart paused for a second and I broke out in a cold sweat. I was unable to comprehend what just had happened or what was happening now. A chill ran through my spine and I winced at the sight. My head felt like it was spinning and I started to feel nauseous. A strong pungent stench hung in the air and mixed with the rusty smell of the blood.

You know something is wrong when the first thing you see is a bloody mess. There was no one, but the blood definitely made clear that something had happened. The unpleasant and shocking scene rattled me. I felt a pang in my head. While rubbing my temples with my hands, I squeezed my eyes shut.

_This is real, right? Okay, okay. Calm down, nothing really has happened yet, I think? Ugh. Wait._

I took a deep breath and exhaled. My mind was still foggy and a bit jumbled.

Distant grunts formed a mixture of disturbing sounds and slowly grew louder. I lifted my head and my eyes shifted to my left. The other source of the stench quickly became clear, several people trudged through the snow. Their eyes glowed red and their skin was of a sickly purple hue, telling me they were anything but alive. They wielded weapons varying from swords to lances and axes.

My head still pounded.

_What did I dream about again…?_

_Zombies._

_Err, wait no. That's what I'm looking at now._

_I was talking to someone. Right, yes. I was talking to Naga, a video game character, the Divine Dragon. She told me I got transported to a different world and stuff._

The details of my dream became clearer bit by bit. Zombies, the first thing that popped up in my mind, was confusing because I was supposed to be in the Fire Emblem world according to Naga. I wasn't really expecting walking reanimated corpses. As far as I could remember, they were not part of the bulk of enemies in the games I played.

_Maybe I'm not in… Fire Emblem? _

A surreal scene had unfolded before my eyes and, as confusing at this was, reminded me of another thing Naga said.

"Don't think, traveller. Accept it," her words echoed in the back of my mind.

_Right, thanks Naga. I feel like I'm going crazy. Perhaps there's a logical explanation for these zombies. An explanation that totally justifies their appearance in a medieval setting, like… dark magic. Yep, that sounds about right. _

I turned my attention back to the walking dead. Luckily, they didn't seem to have noticed me yet. The corpses mindlessly scurried and wandered around.

_What does always happen in Fire Emblem? Some evil entity, god or a dragon person thing messes things up. Recruiting drag- I mean people. The most important thing I should focus on is getting recruited by the main characters and standing still sure won't get me recruited._

I decided to circle around the red snow and from there, just walk. It was cold, no, that was an understatement. It was freezing cold.

_Shelter would be nice._

While I walked, I couldn't help but be a little bit amazed by the scenery. The pine trees, the clouds that formed a blanket and covered the sky, the snowfall, everything looked unrealistic, beautiful and very, very off at the same time. I could get used to the pretty visuals, but the thought of actually being stuck in another world was daunting.

I would've written this off as a dream if Naga hadn't talked to me earlier, heck even now I sort of felt like I was asleep.

_How am I supposed to just accept all of this? _

_..._

_Speaking of Naga, I really should have asked a different question at the end. She didn't even give me a clear answer, did she?  
><em>_What happened back home? Did I randomly disappear or something like that? Can I ever return? Answers to questions like that would've been very reassuring._

A low grunt from my right reminded me I was not alone.

_Bah. I guess that's something for later._

I had to sneak around carefully trying not to alert the zombies since I wasn't armed after all. Since moving all stealthily wasn't something I did everyday, I surprisingly managed to avoid them. After a while, I stopped encountering the walking corpses altogether.

There was a moment of reprieve, but I couldn't relax at all. My mind was still a bit clouded. I kept on mulling over everything as I marched through the snow again and searched for someplace warmer. The cold was starting to take a toll on me. I crossed my arms while walking and watched the warm white air disperse every time I breathed.

_Why am I wearing a dress again?_

I sighed deeply. Assuming what Naga said was true, I didn't remember a whole game. That would be extremely disadvantageous since that meant I didn't know jack about anything. No countries, no names, no conflicts, no wars etc. What was even more worrisome was that I was currently in a game where people (can) drop like flies left and right.

_It is only a matter of time until I actually have to fight and kill someone myself. This is a game after all, or whatever. I don't even know what to call this anymore._

I stopped in my tracks. A gust of snow and wind brushed across me.

The weather was slowly improving, it wasn't snowing as heavily as it was earlier when I started walking. I looked up and like a godsend, a fort made of stone towered behind the trees in the distance. I decided that I should head there and ran, burying the thought about killing deep away in my mind.

The number of trees started to dwindle as the fort grew bigger. After not too long, a group of people appeared in my sight. Around 20 men and women were gathered before the open gate of the fort and seemed to be discussing something. As I approached the group, my feet slowed and stopped. The murmuring of the people grew louder and on a closer look, it became clear that they were soldiers. Not sure how I should approach them, I watched and listened silently while contemplating my next move.

"The undead, you say?" a man mumbled.

"Apparently they are called risens."

"Fighting undead people? For Naga's sake, what is happening to the world?"

His companion raised his shoulders at this.

_Of course they wouldn't call them zombies. _I made a mental note of it.

"We get to fight at the very least."

"I suppose you're right. And hey, they are already dead!" The two snorted.

"Hey!" A different voice shouted.

A woman started moving in the crowd. The woman was dressed in a red and white armor. Her blonde hair was pulled back and tied into a short ponytail that somehow managed to stay upright. In her right hand rested a sword and with her left hand, she pushed a couple of soldiers aside. The rest quickly made room for her. They took a few steps back and a path was formed for the woman.

"That was unnecessary." She let out a laugh, clearly amused by this. "Do that again when I'm the khan."

After that, the woman continued heading my way, her eyes fixed on me. She didn't slow down until she stopped in front of me.

"Are you lost, missy?"

She placed her left hand on her hip and waited for my answer.

"Err, yes?"

She raised an eyebrow and came closer. "That didn't sound very convincing."

Her curious eyes stabbed holes into me. Her gaze was pretty intense and I looked away, breaking the eye contact. The air around us was tense and the crowd held their breath. There was a long awkward silence until she stuck her sword in the snow. Her face relaxed just a bit, but her eyes were still trained on woman cut through the tense air by smiling.

"Well, you don't look like a threat at least." She shrugged her shoulders. "You're not the first visitor today, So another visitor is a bit unexpected, if not suspicious."

"That's… understandable in a way. I guess."

The woman nodded.

"We've already had some people come over today warning us about enemies."

"And those enemies include undead people, right?"

"That's right. According to them, there might also be some living people walking around."

Living people?

"I didn't see any though. Only walking corpses."

"I just needed someone else to confirm that there is something running around. Spares me the trouble of sending out scouts."

The woman spun around her sword and with her back to me, faced the crowd.

"When is that oaf coming outside?" She shouted, but got no clear answer back. After letting out a deep sigh, the woman eyed the crowd, her eyes searched for something.

"Why don't you all have your weapons with you? What are you fools waiting for?"

The woman scoffed "seriously," before turning back to me. She straightened her back and rested her sword against her shoulder.

"I don't know if you're really lost or not, but I'd rather not let a random stranger in with those bandit attacks lately."

_Bandit attacks._

"Didn't you just trust the words of this random stranger?" I asked.

"I did, but I doubt an enemy spy would tell me about the risens."

I chuckled. "Riiiight."

Using my right hand as support under my elbow, I brought my hand to my cheek and rested my head on the palm of my head. Talking felt pretty awkward, but that's mainly because I'm awkward.

_Should I... avoid asking about things? What am I supposed to say? Can I ask for help or something? Am I crazy for thinking too much about this? _

"Uhm," I mumbled. "I actually need a place to stay. Do you think it would be possible to stay for like, a night?"

She laughed heartily.

"That is possible, but you'll need to earn your ticket in the old Feroxi way."

I stared at the ground.

"Display your strength and I'll let you just happen to have some undead people roaming around. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

"No, I don't understand," I said with a sarcastic voice.

I took a quick glance at her face, which seemed to say something along the lines of you're kidding right?

"I was joking, sorry."

The woman laughed again.

"I know, I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Oh, uh okay then. I don't have any real fighting experience, but I can give it a shot," I continued.

_Or something like that. I'll have to fight either way. Better try to get as much experience as I can get._

As if she was sizing me up, the woman stared at me intently.

"In that case, defeat a couple of them and you'll have a roof above your head tonight. Try not to get yourself killed."

After saying that, she motioned with her hand.

"Someone, bring this girl a sword."

A lot of shuffing later and a man brought me a sheath. He pushed it into my hands and I was surprised by its weight once I held it. At the same time I wondered what I was getting myself into. I thanked the man and put my hands around the cold handle, drawing it. An olive-brown coloured sword appeared out of the scabbard.

_Bronze, seems about right for me_.

I glanced back at the woman and realized we never introduced ourselves.

"My name is Cher by the way. It's, uhm, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. My name is Flavia." She paused and turned her head slightly. "Sounds like the men are almost ready." Flavia pointed at the crowd.

The bustling crowd behind us were certainly getting in the mood for some action. They were very light-hearted, considering the fact we were going to fight zombies. Myself, on the other hand, wasn't very excited.

I held my sword up with both hands and wondered how you properly fight with a sword. After swinging it once, twice, I looked at Flavia again.

"Any pointers on using a sword?"

"You swing it and slice through your enemies."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Flavia repeated. "And don't forget to dodge and keep an eye on your surroundings. You don't want to accidentally wound your comrades."

I sheathed it again and rolled with my eyes.

"Friendly fire will not be tolerated."

"Exactly."

_Why am I making video game references to her?_

"By the way…" her voice trailed off in the noise. Flavia formed a cup with her hand and gestured to me to come closer with her other hand. I moved forward and listened.

"You will end up with a sword in your back if you do turn out to be an enemy," she whispered into my ear with a grave tone. I took a couple steps back.

_That came out of nowhere._

Flavia raised her voice again.

"Just a friendly reminder. You look harmless, but I can't judge a person based on their looks alone." She flashed me a grin. "I look forward to the fight."

I missed the moment to retort as she had already turned her back to me. Flavia cleared her throat first, after that she started shouting and pointed the blade towards the sky, waving it to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up warriors," she said with a loud voice. "We're going to get this party started without that oaf since he's taking too long. Our goal is to eliminate the risens. Since it's our first time dealing with them, exercise caution and defeat them swiftly. No fooling around. Let this serve as a warm-up for the tournament tomorrow."

* * *

><p>I wasn't exactly looking forward to cutting up dead bodies, but the moment were I had to do just that was drawing near. The group was divided into several smaller groups. In my case, the group consisted of four people including myself. I naturally didn't know anyone in the group I was. We were ordered not to get too cocky while fighting and help each other out if the situation turned sour. Like Flavia had mentioned before, this was their first time dealing with this, so I thought it was a wise decision.<p>

Just when we were about to move out, a bunch of other people arrived. In the center stood someone who almost fit the description of a pirate, sort of. I assumed it was the infamous oaf. The man had a big presence and wore an untroubled expression on his face. His fur collar drew my attention first, then his face. An eye-patch covered his left eye.

Next to him was a masked Marth.

_Err, wait._

I looked again.

_What the..._

_Do my eyes deceive me?_

They did not. Standing next to the man was a Marth lookalike. However, something did seem off about this Marth. My eyes, which were trained by years of watching anime, questioned its gender. He was too feminine with that slender build, but then again… This was a video game, maybe I was just reading too much into it.

Marth's right hand was placed on the hilt of his or her sword. Behind this person stood a girl whose shoulders were drawn forward. She clutched her bow very firmly with her hands. Her face looked absolutely terrified for some reason.

?

On a closer look, the two of them looked as white as a sheet.

_What's... up with them?_

Off to the side, stood a lonely black-haired man with an intimidating gaze. He wore an oriental-styled outfit and carried a sharp blade with a tip that curved up.

_A loner,_ I noted._ Probably a myrmidon._

Irritated at the oaf's late entrance, Flavia addressed the man.

"Well, well, look who's waltzing his way into here." A crease appeared on her forehead. "You're late, Basilio. I was about to leave you behind."

The man's eyes narrowed and he let out a grunt.

"Thanks for the big warm welcome. You know there is no way I am going to watch the house while you get all the fun."

"Suit yourself." Flavia's eyes fell on the two standing next to him. "I see you brought our guests with you."

"That's right." He stretched his hand out to the masked man or woman, showing him/her off.

"Marth is now my new champion."

_Even his name is Marth. Coincidence? I think not._

"He just had a flawless victory against Lon'qu." The other man glared back at Basilio.

"Never seen him topple over that fast. Your men are going to have some trouble tomorrow."

Flavia shrugged off his boasts. To her, they were nothing more than the words of an overconfident man, which seemed pretty accurate.

"We'll see about that. Now that everyone is here, I say we move out."

* * *

><p>And so we moved out for real. The groups spread out and combed the forests for the walking dead.<p>

Our group decided to take out the ten risens stumbling in the distance first. With my hands closed around the hilt of my sword, we approached the risens. My nerves danced around in my body, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

_I have no idea what I'm doing._

One of my party members, no, companions raised his hand and signalled the start of the attack.

They dashed first and I followed suit. When the risens noticed us, they rushed with a surprising speed and leapt.

One of the corpses jumped my way. In brandished an axe, also the risen happened to be topless, if that made sense. While it descended in the air, the risen brought down its axe. I was taken aback by its speed. I frantically swung my sword at the axe that was headed my way. The metal clanked against the axe, deflecting the hit. The impact of the blow sent me a meter back. The risen followed up with wild movements, trying to hit me with a whirl of attacks. Its attacks were very powerful, but in return they lacked accuracy.

_Hooray for the weapon triangle!_

They missed as I jumped back. To this, the risen responded with a dash and a forward strike. Using two hands to hold the sword horizontally, I blocked the strike with the sword and pushed the axe aside, causing the risen to stagger. I took that opportunity to dash and stab the risen in its stomach. The risen didn't flinch at this, being dead and all.

_Okay then. How about I just..._

I thrust the sword deeper and sliced sideways, slashing through his abdomen. My sword sliced through the rotting flesh with a sickening sound. The risen let out a low grunt. His body then crumbled, leaving a pile of dust behind.

I wasn't sure how to feel since I just killed something that was already dead.

The rush of adrenaline that coursed through my veins left me a bit tired after the attack.

_Geez, my stamina sucks._

I let out a puff of air and glanced at the rest. They didn't seem to have much trouble as they each were already downing their second undead corpse. I didn't have much time to relax as another risen came my way with his sword pointed at me.

The swordsman swung his sword and I attempted to parry it. The risen however, seemed to be going for that reaction and duck under my sword. Turned out it was a feint, he was aiming for my stomach. In a panic, I leapt to the side just in time, evading the strike. After I recovered, the swordsman followed up with another strike. I intercepted the blade, but got pushed back. Another fast slice and this time I was too slow to dodge it. The metal grazed my arm and left behind a small cut. I cursed, it didn't hurt much but still. I jumped back and tried to widen the distance.

The previous fight ended up wearing me down, but this fight was even worse. The swordsman was a lot faster than the fighter and I had a hard time keeping up with his persistent attacks. There was no room for me to counterattack. He clearly had the advantage in this fight. I needed to turn the tables somehow.

And then an axe crashed into the risen's back, causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground.

My eyes flicked to side and I realized that one of the warriors threw it. I rushed and jammed my sword in its neck, decapitating it. It quickly perished after and turned to dust.

_Phew._

I retrieved the axe and looked at my group again. They were all done and waved. I did the same and joined them.

* * *

><p>The rest of the evening was filled with some more fighting. In the end, I smashed five more risens. Seven was less than what everyone else managed to kill, but I did held onto my end of the deal. So, I was granted access to the fort. One trip to the infirmary and an awkward dinner later, I collapsed on the bed in my guest room and buried my face in the pillow.<p>

_I can almost swear I felt someone's gaze at me the whole time during that dinner._

I rolled over in the bed, face up and stared at the wooden ceiling. A candle lit up the dark room. It was a very basic guest room, furnished with a bed, a closet and a small table. A yawn escaped my mouth, I was getting sleepy. I pulled the blanket over my face.

Now that I finally had the chance to think everything through, I felt too tired to do so.

With my eyes closed, I quickly recounted the events of the day in my head.

_Naga. Amnesia. Blood. Risens. Flavia. Oaf, err no, Basilio. Marth. EXP. Dinner._

_Now I know I'll probably need to work my ass off if I want to keep up with other people._

I sighed.

_Well, it's not really a bad thing I guess._

I flipped a part of the blanket over, sat upright and blew the candle out.

_Maybe I'll wake up in my own bed tomorrow._

_Never mind. If you can hear me Naga. I'll just try to accept it, just like you told me to._

* * *

><p><strong>You made it to the end of this chapter! I personally think this was a bit of a boring chapter, but I couldn't really leave it out. I mapped most of the story out and this chapter's purpose was to make things fit.<br>**

**Anyway, chapter 3 will be out soon. ****Reviews are always welcome. Thank you for reading so far. **


	3. Encounters

Memories are intangible, fleeting moments that largely shape a person's personality and influence their behaviour.

Robin was, in a way, only two days old since he woke up in a field. An empty shell of the man he used to be. A completely blank and clean slate.

For now, his whole world revolved around the Shepherds as he had no life outside of the army he knew of.

In Robin's case, (most of) his memories were already gone and forgotten when he opened his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder how his life and he himself was like before losing his memories.

While Robin didn't remember a thing about his past, there was something he, or rather his body could remember.

Years of training, years of repeating the same actions resulted into him being able to use magic and wield a sword. Even if the mind forgot about it, his body did not. The movements were so deeply rooted and ingrained into his mind like that. Unlike his memories, the magic and movements flowed freely.

It was no wonder that the battlefield was strangely calming to him.

A strong blow from his sword hit the shaft of the man's lance, knocking the lance in the air. With a quick movement, Robin snatched the weapon mid-air with his left hand and pointed the lance back at the man's neck.

"Checkmate."

The man threw his hands in the air, a sign of surrender. He joined the rest of the Feroxi warriors on the sidelines, who stood there with sour expressions on their faces.

The Shepherds had successfully rendered all the enemies useless, except for the most dangerous one. In the circular battlefield was only one person of the enemy team left, Marth. The masked man was fending off attacks from Chrom, who showed no signs of relenting to him.

Marth's quick agile movements formed a danger for anyone who went near his blade. Earlier, Robin had ordered Chrom to keep him busy as he was the most able swordsman from the Shepherds. This allowed everyone else to focus on the rest of the team.

Robin pulled his tome from the hidden pocket inside his robe. He opened it, ready to support Chrom. The tactician turned his head to a man with an axe in his hands standing a few meters away from him.

"Nathan, help me distract Marth."

"Roger that, mister," he replied, gripping his axe firmly and moved out.

A flow of magic surged through Robin's hands as the pages turned over by itself.

He actually didn't really understand how magic worked.

Magic circles started swirling around him.

_I should ask Miriel about it later._

"Chrom!"

With a flick of his wrist, he shot a bolt of lightning at his target. The lightning crackled and followed a line straight to Marth. He rolled over the ground, dodging the thunder and hastily recovered. After that, he had to swing his blade to parry Nathan who swung his axe in a downwards motion. The axe hit the sword with a screeching noise.

Leaving Marth no room to recover, Chrom charged and slashed, offsetting Marth's balance.

Overwhelmed by the attacks, he staggered. In that one moment Chrom caught his arm with his left hand, disarmed him and twisted it around his back. A grunt came out of his mouth. Chrom pressed Falchion against his throat and the crowd roared, marking the match's end. Their excited screams bounced off against the walls and reverberated in the arena.

"You put up an impressive fight. Your father must've been a great swordsman," said Chrom.

Marth groaned at the irony in his words. Chrom squinted as he opened his mouth again.

"Mind telling me wh-"

"Chrom, don't you think that is enough?" Robin interrupted and gestured to the still raised sword.

"Ah." Chrom's mind processed and interpreted his words a bit late.

"You're right," he said apologetic. Chrom lowered his weapon and released him.

Marth quickly picked up his sword and skittered over the ground, away from him. He needed a moment to catch his breath and panted while the audience burst out in chants, cheering for the winning team.

"I got a bit too caught up in the heat of the moment." Chrom brushed the sweat on his forehead away.

"We could use people like…"

The masked swordsman had already turned his back to them and walked with a quick pace towards the exit of the arena.

"Looks like he is in a hurry," Robin added.

"I bet you scared him off," Nathan chimed.

Chrom squinted again, his eyes following the slender figure.

"I'm sure we'll come across this fellow again," said Robin.

"You're probably right."

* * *

><p>Together with the two royal siblings and their loyal knight, Robin waited in the throne room for Flavia. From the door, a red carpet with faded gold lines on either side leaded up to a throne that was remarkably plain. Subdued colours, not many decorations, the rest of the throne room was also very underwhelming for a throne room.<p>

Then again, this was Regna Ferox, not Ylisse. Comparing the two would be like comparing two vastly different things. Their culture, climate and values were all different.

Flavia had invited them to her new throne room, it was most likely to discuss Chrom's request for troops.

Compared to the arena that was brimming with activity, it was cold here. Robin pulled his hood deep over his head, in hopes of keeping his ears warm. Lissa, who was wearing a yellow dress with a metal frame, complained about the temperature.

"Even inside it's cold!"

She crossed her arms and rubbed her hands against them. Displeasure clearly showed on her face. "Robin, I think at times like this, you should hand the lady a coat or something!"

"Really?"

Rushing to his defense was Chrom. "Lissa, you sho-,"

"Yeah, yeah. Act like a princess," she sighed.

"Shouldn't you be asking Frederick for a coat instead?" asked Robin, steering the conversation back to that direction. Robin's eyes shifted towards the knight. To no one's surprise, the servant was already unfolding a coat for the princess.

He handed it over to Lissa, who insisted on putting it on herself. It was a thick, but stylish coat that seemed to fit her perfectly.

"Thank you, Frederick." She smiled, satisfied by his pampering.

Multiple footsteps plodded over the floor in the hallway. The sound reached the room and suddenly stopped.

"Gah!" A voice could be heard through the door.

"What!" A girl shouted and stopped after she noticed she was loud. "What was that for?" she continued with a flat voice.

"This morning, you said you didn't know where you were headed next," a familiar voice said.

_Flavia._

"And?"

"I've decided to hand you over to the Ylisseans."

Chrom and Frederick looked at each other and frowned at the same time.

"W-what?" Her voice went up a pitch again. "And when were you going to tell me that?"

"I'm telling you about it right now."

"B-but!"

"No but's. Do you dislike that idea? Would you rather stay here?"

"Maybe? I don't know them."

Flavia let out a deep sigh. "You only met me yesterday, remember?"

"I know. I'm just a bit reluctant, okay," she mumbled.

"We don't like freeloaders here. Listen, Ylisse is a pleasant country ruled by a gentle exalt and the Shepherds have earned my trust. Don't worry too much about it."

The girl said something in a muffled voice, but it was too soft to hear.

"I'm just doing you a favour. I always treat my guests well."

The door flung open and Flavia stepped into the room. Following behind her was a girl with black hair that reached to half her back. Her face was a bit hard to read, a mixed bag of boredom and exhaustion.

"That was an excellent battle with a flawless victory!" Flavia let out a laugh and walked past Frederick and Lissa. "You all have my gratitude for crushing the other team that viciously."

She stopped in front of Chrom.

"Now then Chrom, since I have regained full power over the throne, the first thing I shall do is provide you with the troops you so kindly asked for."

His face lit up, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Emmeryn will surely be happy when we bring her the great news." He stuck out his hand. "Thank you, east-khan."

"Flavia," she corrected him. She didn't stuck out her hand immediately, earning her a confused look from the man. Instead, she motioned her hand and waved to the girl.

"It will take some time before I can provide all the soldiers, but I can offer you this one right now."

The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. Instead she glanced at Chrom, who also stared back at her. Chrom lowered his hand to his side.

"We could use all the help we can get."

Frederick leaned in closer to Chrom and whispered.

"Milord, is that wise?" He asked.

"You heard her, she trusts us. The least we can do is trust her too."

The knight blinked and his eyebrows drew together.

"I know that the Shepherds are in need of new recruits, but that doesn't mean you have to take in every lost lamb into the herd."

"Frederick please." Chrom lightly pushed him away. "I thought we already went through this after Robin and Nathan. Your overprotectiveness is almost smothering."

"I am just fulfilling my knightly duties."

"Are the girls done whispering to each other?" Flavia interrupted with a grin. Lissa giggled at this.

Chrom cleared his throat.

"Yes, sorry for that. We'll accept your kind offer." He stuck his hand up again.

"Then it's decided." Flavia grabbed it and shook it. "Today marks the day the alliance between Ylisse and Regna Ferox has been formed. This calls for a feast!"

"Thank you, but we'll have to politely decline that offer," said Robin.

"Whaaat?" Lissa formed fists with her hands. With a disappointed look, she lightly jabbed Robin's side. "First Chrom and now you too Robin!"

"It's best if we return to Ylisse before it gets dark outside. Besides, I'm sure Frederick can prepare a meal to your liking in the castle kitchen." Robin glanced at the knight who nodded.

"Fine," the girl huffed.

Flavia shrugged and held her hands flat up. "That's a shame. We have the best meat gathered here, intended for only the finest warriors.."

Lissa let out a shriek, her heart broke, or actually her stomach rumbled. She hopped, her pigtails bounced up and down and her heels clacked against the stone. She locked her arm with Chrom's.

"Sorry Lissa, but the moment when throwing tantrums helped has long passed by."

With a jerk, she let go off him and whined.

"I know that! I was just imagining the food and and!"

"Err, ahem," Robin coughed, cutting her off. "I believe we should introduce ourselves first to our newest member. My name is Robin, this lively girl is Lissa." His fingers pointed at the two men. "That's Chrom, our commander and the grumpy man next to him is Frederick."

Frederick maintained his poker face at this.

"It's, err, nice to meet you all. My name is Cher."

Flavia turned to the girl and nodded once.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

"I appreciate your help," She mumbled, her head in a slight angle turned away from Flavia's face.

"No problem. Now, I have some other matters to attend to. Come back and visit us anytime when you're stronger," she laughed, leaving the room.

A short moment later and someone else entered the room with a man walking behind him, coincidently he also had black hair. Judging from the big presence, the man in front was the other khan.

"Bah! Looks like Flavia beat me to it, seems like lady luck is on her side this year."

His voice was low and had a certain hint of scorn to it. The man either disliked Flavia or had a very weird way of showing his affection to her. Robin did notice that Flavia spoke with that same tone when she mentioned the west-khan, so maybe it was just friendly rivalry.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?" Chrom asked.

"Boy, you just kicked me off the throne. It was a humiliating defeat, but no hard feelings." He shook his head. "The name is Basilio. At least I now know who I should convince to fight on my side next year."

"I see. Well, did you have any business with us other than trying to coax us to your side?"

Basilio laughed. "Hold your horses, boy." His face turned serious. "I'll do that in time, wait for it. I dropped by to give you a gift." He gestured to the swordsman.

"This silent man is Lon'qu. Handy with a sword, clumsy with women."

Lon'qu let out a low grunt.

"Clumsy with women?" Lissa asked, a glint of curiosity sparkled in her eyes. She took a couple of steps towards him. The man's face turned pale.

"Away, woman!" He shouted, his eyes sharpening.

"H-hey!" Lissa backed off.

"Perhaps clumsy is the wrong way to describe it. Nonetheless, I'm sure he'll be a great addition to your army."

"Right." Chrom waved to Frederick, dismissing his piercing glare. "We'll gladly welcome him to the Shepherds."

* * *

><p>The journey back was as expected, cold. The two newest members didn't talk much during the trip, especially Lon'qu. Sumia, who was flying on a pegasus, came down to check up on everyone from time to time. This was usually followed by her falling off her steed and Chrom helping her up, but aside from that, nothing really happened.<p>

They were back on Ylissean soil before the night fell. When they walked through one of the many fields nearby Ylisstol, town walls rose in the distance. The castle loomed in the middle of it. The harsh sunlight coloured the fields orange and a gentle breeze silently swayed the trees back and forth. Robin was happy to be walking on unpaved roads and grass again instead of snow.

In the castle, Emmeryn greeted and welcomed the new recruits. She seemed to be in a good mood. Her face was simply radiant as a smile graced her lips.

"I am very grateful for the support." Emmeryn, wanting to emphasize the sincerity of her words, bowed deeply.

Clearly suprised, Cher stammered a thank you, it didn't really fit the context. Lon'qu just grunted and distanced himself from the exalt.

"Now that's done, how about I show you two around?" Lissa smiled and opened her arms, showing the size of the castle. Her eyes beamed with pride. "It's a big castle, I'm sure you'll get lost a few times. Heck, even I get lost at night and I grew up here!"

"Thanks Lissa, that would be nice." Cher said.

"I'd rather explore on my own," muttered Lon'qu. He turned his back to them and disappeared into one of the many hallways.

The garrison was connected to the castle, the Shepherd's were allowed to freely roam around its hallways, granted they don't go around breaking stuff. Hanging on the stone walls were big beautiful paintings from the royal family and scenery. Chrom himself also had a painting _somewhere_ in the castle, but no one from the Shepherds had actually ever seen it.

In any case, Robin decided to tag along until they reached the garrison. He headed to his room after that and rested his head on his pillow.

* * *

><p>People were running.<p>

Jumbled words left his mouth. He shouted, screamed, gasped for air and coughed violently. His clothes were torn to tatters and a big gash on his shoulder laid exposed.

The town was engulfed in a raging fire, swallowing wooden stalls and houses. Amidst the red-orange flames was a woman trapped in the burning sea, separating the two. Meanwhile, black smoke settled in.

The man searched for a way to cross the sea, but was stopped by a cluster of fire sent flying at him. He ducked under it and desperately yelled.

"XXXXXX!"

Robin coughed again.

"I'm going to get you out of there!"

She responded by screaming with tears streaming down her in dirt covered face, begging him to get to safety.

That didn't stop him from trying to save her. With his hand clutching his bleeding shoulder, he continued onward.

Her long tousled hair hung over her eyes and her body was covered in severe burns.

He refused to leave her behind like that.

A blast of wind from a tome fanned and spread the embers, worsening the fire. The black smoke grew thicker and made breathing even more painful and suffocating than it already was.

The woman sank to the ground, choking on the poisonous air.

Running into the fire would result into death. Staying here would result into death. There was no way to cross the fire without first burning to death.

Saving her would result into death.

Even so, giving up was not an option. To avoid breathing in too much of the air himself, he needed to stay low to the ground. He crouched on all fours over the cobblestone paved ground, focused on finding something that could help, something that wasn't burning, something something something.

But, his eyes widened. The building behind her was on the verge of collapsing. Without blinking once he stared at the building behind her in horror. There was nowhere to run for her, surrounded by flames the burning wood crackled and creaked like a dirge for the woman.

That sound heralded the woman's fate.

She was doomed.

She was going to die.

He couldn't do anything to stop it.

His muscles refused to move. A heavy sinking feeling filled his stomach.

And just as he had feared, it came crashing down.

Robin jolted up. Panting heavily, his hands grasped his chest. A bead of sweat dripped down his hair. His stomach still felt heavy.

Fire.

A woman.

Building.

The details of his dream were already hazy, but he could remember it in big lines.

After he calmed himself down, he turned his head to the window. The moonlight seeping through the windows lit up the room just enough for him to recognize the shapes of the furniture.

_I slept through dinner, didn't I?_

He got up, grabbed his robe that was on the floor next to his bed and searched for the candle holder on his desk in the dark. When he found it, he left the room and walked towards a nearby torch. He held it up and then there was light.

Walking towards the library, his mind struggled to keep up with his thoughts. After getting lost in the big castle twice, he finally reached the big door that lead up to the library. Robin placed his hand on the door handle and opened the door.

Upon entering the place, his nostrils were hit with a musty smell. Only Miriel and Ricken used the library frequently, the former not caring about the smell and the latter not wanting to properly take care of all the old books by himself.

_I should clean this place up someday, when I have more time._

A dim light filled the corner of the library, sitting behind a table was Cher. The candle cast an orange light over her tired face. Sitting across from her was Nathan. His arms hung weakly next to his sides and his neck bended back, his head resting on the top of the chair. A book covered his face. Judging from his awkward position, he was asleep.

A map was spread out on the table and several books lay there on a pile. Leaning on her hand, Cher's eyes lazily read the text on paper, glancing towards the map from time to time.

"I thought I heard the door open?" she suddenly asked up, breaking the silence. Her eyes were still focused on the book.

"It's just me." Robin walked towards her with his candle holder still in his hands. "What are you doing up so late?"

"What?"

"What?" Robin asked. His eyebrow furrowed in suprise at the question.

"What?" She repeated. "I could ask the same of you." She closed the book. His eyes caught a glimpse of the title, it read 'History of Ylisse'. Robin's eyes went to the rest of the books. Reading the titles on the sides, they all seemed to be about history and wars.

"I was just brushing my history up."

"Till this late in the night? It's better to get a good night's rest, you can always read during daylight."

"I guess I lost track of time. Err, I'm a bit of a history buff, you see." She rolled the map up and put the book on the stack. She turned to Robin and stared for a few seconds, studying his face.

"You look tired."

"I am tired," he replied. "What is Nathan doing here?"

"Was that his name? He said hi, grabbed one of my books and started talking about random stuff." A frown appeared on her face.

"Then he fell asleep," said Robin.

"That pretty much sums it up."

"Hmm, all right then." Robin stared at the stack of books again, a couple of books were at an angle. It annoyed him greatly. "I should follow your example, since I don't know a thing about history myself. There should be a few interesting books about past wars and battles lying around, if I recall correctly."

She chuckled once, softly, almost inaudible.

"Right, well, Lissa told me about your amnesia. If you want, I can leave these books here for you instead of putting them back on the bookshelves or something like that."

Robin nodded to her words. "I'd appreciate that."

Cher straightened the books in the pile, lining them up with the rest.

"So... what were you doing up so late?"

His eyes gazed at the candle holder in his hands.

"Just woke up from something. Say, I know you haven't been here long, but do you happen to know if there are any books with blank pages here?"

"Uh, like a diary?"

"A piece of paper works too."

She pointed at another stack of books. "What was her name again, the mage with glasses brought those in. They were empty when I checked them."

"That must be Miriel," Robin commented.

He walked towards the stack. Lifting the book on top up, he inspected the cover, which was empty, the side, which was also empty and then the insides. Blank pages.

_Was she going to write something down? Probably. Perhaps she was planning on writing down some of her research._

_..._

_I'll buy her a new one later._

"This should be fine."

With the book in his hands, Robin walked to Nathan and kicked the leg of the chair. A thump later and no reaction came from the man.

"Touch his neck?" She suggested.

Robin briefly touched his neck, only to be immediately slapped away. Despite this sudden movement of him, he was still asleep.

_After that kind of response, I'll just leave him here. He'll regret sleeping in a chair in the morning._

"Just leave him here. I'm heading back to my room, you should do the same soon. Thank you for your help and goodnight.

"Night."

* * *

><p>Back in his room, he placed the candle holder and the leather-bound book carefully on his desk, opened one of the desk's drawers and pulled out a small jar with ink. He flipped the book open and his fingers quickly turned five pages. He paused and stared at the blank page.<p>

His eyes went to the flickering candle again.

Robin grabbed his quill, dipped it into jet black ink and wrote a line of words in black. It wasn't his best writing, but he was still feeling a bit groggy from his sleep.

_What did she look like?_

Robin couldn't form a clear image of the woman in his head, only a blob. With the tip of the quill, he traced the woman's shape. It kind of looked bad, a few squiggly lines vaguely resembled a person. Embarrassed by what he just drew, he crossed it out.

_Never mind. Moving on to the next question, how did the town look like?_

He could only say that the town looked like a town, his mind didn't exactly have the best reference material. Nothing stuck out or struck him as off.

_Nothing special about the town._

_The last and most important question, what did the dream mean?_

His mind hit a roadblock.

What did it mean?

Was it just a dream, or was it perhaps something more?

There was no way he could figure out the meaning of the dream at the moment. Robin flipped back to the first page and instead wrote down what happened after waking up in that field. After he was done recounting the days, he vaguely remembered something.

Something about Chrom.

…

His head hurt.

Deciding that it was enough, Robin blew the candle out and crept back into his bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey there. Thank you for reading! I enjoyed writing this chapter more than the last.<br>Another dream in another chapter, sorry for that.  
><strong>**The new OC is a dread fighter and if you didn't realize it by now, I'm a mercenary. ****I am considering accepting OC's since I actually need a few more for during/after the timeskip, but I dunno. I'll get back to this if I decide to accept them anyway.**


	4. Ragtag

**This took longer than intended, sorry. I just want to say thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed, I really appreciate it!**

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><p>The past few days went by in a flash. The cold dusky fort in the snowy forests made way for the picturesque medieval city of Ylisstol. This sudden change of environment came with new faces, streets, hallways and rooms that I all had to remember. Most of my free time was spent by reading books in an attempt to fill up that gap in my memory. Aside from reading and swinging my sword, there wasn't much to do in my free time.<p>

I could always bother people, but meh.

It would take some time getting used to this world. From this world's inhabitants to myself; everything (still) seemed strange to me. Luckily, everyone happened to be very colorful, both personality-wise and appearance-wise. They had their own quirks and traits, making it easier for me to remember their faces. For example, Chrom has blue hair and his hobbies include defying gravity and wearing asymmetrical outfits. The list goes on and on.

Instead of an alarm clock buzzing loudly in my ears, a flock of birds were singing. The chirping started softly, but with each second that rolled by, grew louder and filled the room with sounds that were just as annoying as an alarm clock. Half-asleep, I slightly opened my eyes and took a quick look at the window. A faint-blue glow lit up the sky and contrasted with the black branches of the trees in the courtyard. Small specks were moving on the branches.

I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to fall asleep again. My mind, however, refused to drift off. After tossing and turning in my bed, I admitted defeat and got up. Still in my nightwear, I walked to the mirror with my clothes hanging over my arm.

The first time I saw myself in the mirror was pretty shocking. My own appearance baffled me and I could barely recognize the face that was reflected in the mirror. I looked like I came straight out of an anime, well, it wasn't that surprising considering this was a 'game'… In any case, I still sort of looked the same.

There weren't any changes on first glance, so the expression on my face said it all when I did notice _something_ had changed. After taking my gloves off, a mark revealed itself in all its glory on my right hand. There was a total of seven black lines on it, they formed an upright rectangle with a four in the middle of it. The four was upside down, at least it was upside down when my hand was raised.

What it meant was beyond me. _A four? _I dunno_._ It made no sense, but then again, nothing really did. I kept that thing covered with my gloves since I wasn't sure what to do or make out of it.

As I changed into my usual attire, two quick, but strong knocks sounded on the door. While fixing the collar of my dress, I shuffled over the wooden floor to the door. With a click, the door opened and I peered through the gap between the door and the frame. A stern face with brown windswept hair stared back at me. Frederick gave a slight bow.

"Good morning, I have come to wake you up for the morning workout," he said in a low voice.

_The morning workout?_

"Morning," I said with my hand still on the side of the door, opening it further. "Isn't it a bit too early for that? The sun is barely up."

Frederick shook his head. "There is no better way than to start the day with some exercise. Besides you and several others were already up."

"I blame nature." I shrugged. "Oh, well, I could use some training."

"That'd be very wise of you," Frederick agreed with an eager look. "If you wish, I could schedule some additional training sessions."

"How about just some extra sword lessons?"

He went silent for a second, his eyes sized me up before he talked again, "Just sword lessons won't do. Perhaps it's better to create a training scheme specifically tailored for you."

"Sounds like an awful lot of trouble. Do you really have time for all that?"

Frederick puffed his chest, a smile rose to his face. With pride beaming on his face, he spoke, "Of course. I am in charge of training new recruits after all. Watching over everyone's personal growth and nurturing it is one of my duties."

"You make it sound like we're plants," I whispered under my breath. "Well, I'll take you up on that offer. Wouldn't want to fall over during a fight." I chuckled.

"Then it's decided. Now, as I said before, it's time for the morning workout."

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><p>The view flew by in a blur and my head rushed to meet the ground with a thump. The sweet, sweet ground was so cold, I'd choose lying down in the dirt over this any time.<p>

I honestly don't know what I was expecting from a 'training'.

I lifted myself off the ground with great difficulty, putting more strain on my muscles. Supporting myself with both hands on the ground, I wheezed for air. My hair covered my face and through the strands, I could see someone making his way to me with a brisk pace. Metal boots clinked with every step. I cursed silently as the form of the man grew bigger in my vision.

My thoughts raced through my mind and I immediately regretted our earlier conversation.

_Frederick with his… his, his Fanatical Fitness Hour. He must love watching people squirm in pain, that sadist._

A pair of hands pulled me up and I briefly floated in the air before my feet touched the ground. A perfectly composed face stared back at me, annoying me greatly.

"Go on," Frederick said curtly.

"Do you know how big the-" I drew a few breaths, "courtyard is?"

"I am aware of its size. I see that you still have a long way to go, but don't worry. I'll whip you up back in shape faster than you can find Kellam."

After huffing, I managed to utter a "Who?"

"A fellow Shepherd with little presence, but that's not important now. Finish your laps, we have yet to start with the fitness part."

"Frederick, you…" I mumbled and stopped myself from saying the words that popped up in my head.

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><p>Relieved to have dodged that bullet, Robin leaned back against the wall and stared out of the window. Bodies lay scattered on the courtyard and were lifted one by one by Frederick. After they were standing on the ground again, they hobbled away with a pained look.<p>

Frederick's training would benefit everyone in the long run, but it did look traumatizing.

"Robin." Emmeryn's voice pulled him back, he turned his head to the exalt who stood hunched over a table with several plates and cups. Her fingers were folded around the handle of a teapot and poured tea in the porcelain, steam rising up from the brew. "Why don't you take a seat?"

The man crossed the room and sat down on the seat, waiting for her to finish serving the tea.

"Have you tried our famous mulberry tea blend yet?"

He scratched the top of his head. "Famous mulberry… tea blend?" It was half meant as a question to himself. "I don't believe I have," he said, shaking his head. Robin stared down at the cup, his head hovered over the teacup. A sweet smell rose up from the drink. "It smells good." Robin cracked a smile. "Thank you Emmeryn."

"There is no need to thank me."

She returned his smile and also sat down. Emmeryn added one spoon of sugar in her tea and stirred the hot drink. Her eyes absentmindedly stared at the whirlpool that formed in her tea. Although she looked preoccupied with something, her face remained calm as always.

"Did," Robin started cautiously. His voice caused her to look up and stop moving the spoon around. "Did you need to talk to me about something?"

"Yes." Picking up on the tactician's uneasiness, she smiled again. "Are you getting used to the castle? I realize everything must be pretty confusing to you, especially with your amnesia."

Robin nodded. "I'm doing just fine. You don't have to worry about me."

She was a bit displeased with this answer, the exalt straightened her back and looked straight into his eyes. "I worry because I want to, Robin." Her voice harshened, but remained gentle. "Chrom told me you've been holing yourself up in the library, reading books," she paused, waiting for an answer.

Robin shifted in his seat awkwardly, searching for words to say.

It was true that he started spending most of his time trying to catch up with the past. His hands itched to flip open a book whenever he had time to relax. It was inevitable considering his current job, after all he was the tactician of a country he knew nothing of. Gathering knowledge came with the job description and was obviously essential. Leading an army was a huge responsibility and burden for an amnesiac. Despite the pressure, he still felt grateful to Chrom and didn't want to let him down.

Robin scratched his head again. "It wasn't my intention to make you or Chrom worry about me, but I think reading and studying is something I need to do as the tactician of this army."

Emmeryn let out a small sigh, the ends of her lips curled up into a wry smile. "You worry as much about Chrom as he worries about you, but I understand your feelings. It's a good thing that you've taken an interest in reading books. Just remember to take care of yourself."

"I know I know. It wasn't my intention to lock myself up in the library." Robin nodded and brought the porcelain cup to his lips to take a quick sip to see if it was drinkable. The liquid rushed into his mouth, burning his tongue lightly. He grimaced and quickly put it down on the plate.

The two made some small talk until Robin noticed the painting hanging on the wall behind her. He fell silent as he eyed the older man that was depicted on it. A mantle was draped around him and a crown adorned with jewels sat on the top of his head. His hair had that royal blue shade that wasn't very uncommon in the exalted bloodline. There was an uncanny resemblance to Chrom, only this man's features were battered by the years. Both of his hands rested on the tip of the hilt of a very familiar sword.

The fact that Emmeryn asked him to come to this room made Robin wonder if she deliberately chose this room because of the painting. It was an ironic sight, considering this country's history. The ghost of the former exalt was literally behind Emmeryn.

As if she read his thoughts, Emmeryn spoke up, "So, Robin. What do you know of this country's history?"

"Not much, but I just finished reading about the last war." Robin cleared his throat. "I started with books about the most recent events since those are the most relevant to me right now," he explained.

"I see." Emmeryn took a sip of her tea. "The tea is at the right temperature now," she declared.

Robin thanked her and the two drank their tea in silence. After they both finished, Emmeryn stared out the window. Her eyes drifted to Chrom, who was running around in the courtyard.

"They are more alike than he'd ever admit," she said in a small voice, eyes still fixated on Chrom.

"Is that so?"

She cocked her head to the side before turning back to Robin.

"I'll tell you about my father another day. Listen, Robin, let me give you one piece of advice." She rose from her seat. Leaning in closer, she showed him a determined expression.

"The past is important and should not be forgotten, but the present and the future are even more important."

"Was that directed at me for the whole library hermit issue?" Robin chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood up.

"Perhaps." Emmeryn smiled and started talking again, "With that out of our way, I'd like to start talking about the reason why I called you here."

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><p>Robin appeared out of nowhere after training and announced that almost everyone was heading out next week. Due to risens roaming around and an increase in bandit attacks lately, more soldiers were ordered to patrol the land. As for the Shepherds, they were going to be split into two groups. The first group was going to head down south to check on the situation there and the second group was going to escort Maribelle to Themis.<p>

Much to his chagrin, Ricken had to stay behind. Poor him.

I was assigned to the escort group together with Stahl and Virion. Small groups of risens were to be eliminated if they were sighted. Soldiers often patrolled the roads to Themis, so there shouldn't be any real problems. A group of four would suffice.

I went on with my day after the announcement. Walking past paintings with gilded frames and marble statues, I headed to the library to kill some time. Dusty bookshelves with hanging cobwebs, creaking floors, it was definitely not the best looking place, but it was quiet as long no one moved and that was enough for me.

I skimmed through books, but a crushing boredom killed off any desire to read. Now that I was stuck reading and catching up to avoid any suspicion, I wondered if maybe I should've played the amnesia card in Fort Ferox.

_Oh well. Too late for that now._

One hour later in the library and I ended up building a house of books. A sigh escaped my mouth as I rested my head on the table and stared at my creation. Miriel walked by several times, once with a stack of books in her hands and a second time to observe me.

The floor creaked and Miriel turned the corner, gracing me with her presence again. "Were you planning on passing the day away with fashioning books in a way they resemble houses?"

"Yes, that was totally my intention," I deadpanned as I lifted my head and brushed my hair out of my face.

"A hint of scorn hidden in words usually indicates sarcasm. Was it an attempt to be witty or a way to express contempt?" She seemed to be talking in herself, her face remained stoic as she muttered on.

"Please don't think too much about it."

Miriel blinked once, but continued muttering. Tired, I rested my face on my palm. Spotting the book in her hands, I asked her what she was reading.

"A recipe book," she answered after a while.

I raised an eyebrow. "With what kind of recipes?"

"Recipes of medicinal concoctions, vulnerary's and the likes," she paused to adjust her glasses. "The last book I read had lacking descriptions, the writer of this book however seems to have meticulously described every step of the brewing process that is needed."

_What was I even expecting? Recipes for cakes?_

"Sounds interesting."

"Was that another attem-"

"That was me being honest. Seriously, you're overthinking everything." I sighed.

"I am simply analyzing the situation. It is in my and every scientist's nature to question every single thing."

"Riiight."

"Hmm," she murmured lost in thought. "The vowels were stretched out, the reason for this could…." She went on and on, ignoring me.

I figured I should just leave her be. In an attempt to alleviate my boredom, I grabbed the top book of my house. As if right on cue, Miriel snapped out of her trance and watched me again.

_What the... Okay then?_

"... Weren't you going to read that?" I pointed at the object in her hands.

"I was, but something sparked my curiosity." Miriel turned her head away from me. "I shall excuse myself now," she said and left without another word.

_That was awkward._

I fiddled around with the book in my hands before rising up and clearing away the house made of history books.

_Maybe I should pick up a novel, to break through the monotony of only reading informative books._

I left the library around noon. Still sore, I sank down on a chair behind an empty table on the far end of the mess hall. The tables itself were long and plain, but resembled conference tables. The left wall of the hall was covered in glass, the windows let the sunlight in. A pleasant atmosphere hung in the air.

Surprise surprise, I was the first one to arrive and grab some food. I put down my plate with two sandwiches on the wooden table Lettuce, slices of cucumber, tomato and cheese were sandwiched (pun intended) between two slices of bread, they looked great. Apparently Frederick and some Pegasus knight made them.

Just thinking about Frederick made me squirm.

I took a bite of my sandwich. A savory taste filled my mouth until the juicy bits of the tomato attacked my taste buds. I absolutely used to hate tomatoes, but they are sort of manageable now. Still, unless they are on a pizza, I prefer to avoid them.

A hand tapped me on my right-shoulder. I glanced to my right, there was no one. Just a seat and the corner of the hall.

_Maybe I just imagined that?_

While I turned my attention back to my sandwich, my eyes fell on an extra plate in front of the empty seat next to me. I broke out in a cold sweat.

_When did… that…_

"You look awfully pale," a man's voice laced with concern said out of nowhere.

Startled, I jumped up and swallowed my bread too fast, resulting into me choking on it. After coughing violently, I raised my head and still saw no one next to me.

_Nope nope nope._

I picked up my plate and walked away as fast as I could, while fighting the muscle pain, to another table on the other side of the hall. After sitting down and sighing, Nathan joined me. With a fox mask hanging on his shoulder and a rather cheery expression on his face, he sat down on the other side of the table in those ninja-like clothes of his.

He looked so out of place, but by now, seeing someone else reassured me.

Chrom and co. picked him up together with Robin on the same day. While Robin was found in a field, Nathan called for help in a village attacked by bandits not too far from there. What a coincidence.

Nathan waved his hand to get my attention, but stopped after he saw my worn-out face.

"Is the food that bad?" He asked in the grimmest voice possible.

I shook my head and forced a smile. "No, this sandwich is pretty great. Something just… startled me. Yeah, that's it."

"Startled?" He took a bite of his sandwich and the expression on his face told me he was enjoying it. "There are apparently rumors floating around about a ghost. You didn't happen to-"

"I don't believe in that sort of stuff," I said gruffly. "Well, I mean, I don't know. Let's just not talk about this."

"Sure, whatever you say." He grinned and continued to eat.

Vaike sat down with big movements on the chair next to Nathan. He talked while eating, which was anything but a pretty sight.

The mess hall continued to fill up. Stumbling over the doorstep was Sumia, a helping hand provided by Frederick stopped her from falling. Virion walked with Sully and whispered sultry words into her ear. A well-deserved kick was her reaction and Virion lay down on the ground, cringing in pain. Miriel intently studied his reaction and proceeded to inspect the contents of her sandwich.

It didn't take long before the background was filled with laughter and small talk. This view only supported my statement about the Shepherds being a colorful and lively bunch. A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as I watched them.

_Guess I was worried for nothing back in Regna Ferox._

The chair next to me scraped over the floor and Robin settled on it.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Did someone tell you a good joke?" He asked.

"Nope, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some stuff."

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><p><strong>Things slowed down this chapter, but the story will move on next chapter. Exams start next week, so I'm afraid the next chapter will be delayed. I'll try getting it up as soon as possible.<strong>

**I never described Nathan's appearance and I don't really want to shoehorn it into a scene, so I'll vaguely describe it here. Auburn spiky-ish hair, just think of the male avatar number 5 hairstyle. Has brown eyes. Dread fighter clothes, that's about it. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading! Leave a review if you want. ****The year is nearing its end, so a happy New Year in advance guys! **


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